


Every Pair of Genes is a Hand-Me Down

by Wispy_Raindrop



Series: Survive, Recover, Live [7]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society (Homestuck), Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Eugenics, Gen, Government Conspiracy, Implied/Referenced Experiments, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Sadstuck, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 04:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wispy_Raindrop/pseuds/Wispy_Raindrop
Summary: Your name is Jane Crocker and it feels like the world is coming down around you.





	Every Pair of Genes is a Hand-Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> The warning for past rape/non-con is similar to the one from 'If Lost Please Return To...' though it expands on the whys and the kind of society that exists in this AU (spoilers, it ain't a nice one). It ended up being a bit more world-buildy than I intended when I started writing this but I think that was for the best. This also takes place not too long after that story.
> 
> I'm not entirely happy about this one and I'm not sure I really have Jane's voice but this was her story to tell so hopefully you guys like it. She's also thrown through a lot of loops so that probably doesn't help.
> 
> Title comes from 'I Think I'm a Clone Now' which is also quoted at the end.

_ “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” ― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein _

 

Your name is Jane Crocker and it feels like the world is coming down around you. 

This whole place already felt off to you but now it's on a whole different level. It upgraded from creepy to horrifying and all you can do is stare blankly at the screen before you. Roxy managed to hack the system and granted you all access but half the data is already gone or horribly corrupted. She thinks she can fix it and while you don't want to doubt her abilities you’re not sure she will retrieve much. Whoever ran this facility really didn't want to leave any traces behind. Lucky for you that they fled in such a rush that they didn't think to ensure a complete erasure of information. 

Looking at this file though, you’re not sure how lucky you actually are. 

The current climate, you must say, is weird. The population of both trolls and humans is simultaneously too low and too high. You never thought much of it until recently, never put stock into Roxy’s conspiracy theories, but now you are fairly certain there is some truth to them. 

Looking at this blasted file is only confirming everything Roxy has ever rambled about in her drunken stupors.

(You know that's not entirely fair, she’s sober now, has been for a long while and you will make darn sure she never goes back to that. You have lot to make up for and you’re not sure you’ll ever do so no matter how easily Roxy forgives people.)

Back to the point at hand, there are controls in place to ensure the continuation of the races. Namely, the Breeding Program. 

It is simple for trolls; every other year they fill a bucket and hand it over to the drones. Anyone who doesn't gets culled. Anyone who is ‘undesirable’ gets culled. Anyone who looks shifty gets culled. Sometimes people get culled just because. 

Needless to say there is a lot of culling. 

You might know why the troll population fluctuates so much. 

For humans it is a bit trickier. It all comes down to genetics, really, keeping the strong DNA and ditching the weak. Eugenics. The same groups are targeted, eliminated or sterilized. Usually sterilized. Because that’s more ‘humane’ than outright murder. 

It’s funny how that reasoning is never applied to trolls. 

Long story short, the Breeding and Brood Institute (BABY for short and boy does Dirk ever get a kick out of that one) forces all babies to be registered and makes lists upon lists deciding who will breed with who and essentially enforcing a ‘breed or die’ policy on everyone. They even dictate how many kids people are supposed to have. Thankfully (or maybe not, you’re not really sure at this point) it’s a-okay to fill up on fertility drugs beforehand. Which is how Dave and Rose got born. 

(You very carefully don't think about how Roxy wanted to hide them, keep them unregistered until Dirk pointed out that they were technically already in the system and any unregistered babies were killed, pregnancies not dictated by BABY were terminated and the parents never seen or heard from again. You don't think about how feelings and emotions are the furthest thing from their minds when they send out those orders and how Roxy and Dirk were just  _ barely _ eighteen and it was the  _ last _ thing they wanted and sure, Roxy always wanted to be a mom but not like that,  _ never _ like that.)

The screen before you flickers and your eyes move the line of illegible script in the corner. Roxy must be doing something that affects the whole system. It runs in so many different colours it makes your head spin. Most of them are troll colours though you spot a few off-spectrum ones that  _ have _ to be human. (Sometimes you wish that the troll need to associate with colours had never rubbed off on humans. It's confusing enough as it is. You ignore the fact that you are seldom without your own soothing cyan.) But it's proof that this whole thing was a joint effort. 

Your eyes flick back to the file still wide open on your screen. Now you know who is ultimately responsible for everything that's gone wrong in your life. 

You wish you had listened to Roxy.

When your friends were assigned to each other you were secretly hoping you would end up with Jake. It was terrible of you to think, especially considering the circumstances and how none of you were really ready at the time. But you had a massive crush on Jake and thought, just for a moment, that if you  _ had _ to have kids you wanted it to be with him. 

But you never got orders. Neither did Jake. Even as the years dragged on those orders never came in and none of you could figure out why. 

Now you have your answer. 

You and Jake were never chosen to have kids because you were already having one. 

‘Jade Harley’ stares out at you in a brilliant green, a stark contrast to the standard black text in the rest of the file. You are listed as her  _ parents _ . She lived with her grandfather, a man you’ve never met let alone heard of, and she’s only a couple days older than Dave and Rose and-

And she was taken around the same time too. 

They  _ made _ this girl. They took your DNA and created a life, grew her in a freaking test tube and gave her a  _ childhood  _ before they took her back and  _ changed her, ruined her, what have these people done?!  _

It only gets worse when you see ‘John Egbert’ in a deep blue under ‘siblings’. You think you’re going to be sick. 

“Hey Jane, Roxy thinks she-”

You whip around, spoon-fork in hand and desk chair spinning away before you recognize the voice as Dirk’s. You pant, adrenaline kicking every molecule into high gear and your hand is shaking but you can't drop it and Dirk is just staring at you, hands raised and expression flat until finally-

“So, I have to stop sneaking up on people.”

You giggle but it sounds too high and hysterical and now he's analyzing you, you can see it in his little frown and you just want to hug him and never let go. 

“Jane, are you okay?”

“We have kids together, Dirk.”

Oh, you  _ wish _ you had a camera on you, that pained expression is  _ priceless _ . It’s like someone just told him that he was their father and nephew simultaneously before urinating on all of this food. It's the kind of face that you only see once in a lifetime on the inscrutable Mr. Strider and you can't help it. You burst out laughing.

His expression briefly twists into a scowl before it shifts back to its standard neutral. “Look, Jane. I. Hm. I don't think I’m the. Uh, congrats, I guess? But I-”

Oh, you wish you could savour this moment. You’ve rendered him speechless for the first time in your life and it's over  _ this _ . It spoils  _ everything _ and you can’t bring yourself to take even the slightest amount of enjoyment out of this. 

You manage to quiet your laughter but you still don't quite trust your voice. Stepping out of the way, you wave a hand at the screen and fix your eyes to the floor. 

He hesitates for just a moment and he walks over and leans down to get a better look at it. You see the exact moment he realizes what he's looking at. His body tenses, fingers curling into fists as he subtly shakes. 

“Jane…”

“I know.”

“Just what were this people  _ doing. _ ”

“Purrobably making supurr soldiers.”

“But what would they even  _ need _ them for?”

You both pause, glance at each other in a flash of panic (well,  _ you _ feel panic, at least, you can never tell with Dirk), and whip around with weapons drawn to face the intruder who looks-

Well, the best way to describe them would be ‘child’. They can't be older than thirteen but there's really no way to be sure. Their skin is paler than even Roxy with a thick mane of pitch black hair and  _ wings,  _ honest to goodness  _ wings _ of all things, to match. 

But that's not what really draws your eye. No, that would be the candy corn horns that look almost like cat ears and the achingly familiar shades shielding their eyes. 

You feel Dirk freeze beside you and you know he sees it too. 

The child, for their part, doesn't seem to read the atmosphere. Or they just don't care. Either way, they make a strange chirp-purr sound and wave at you. “Hi! You must be Jane and Bro! It’s pawfully nice to meet you!”

You frown. “How do you know who we are?”

“Well, Dave-”

“How do you know Dave?” Dirk demands, adjusting his grip. 

The kid frowns and tilts their head almost like a bird. There's also a little twitch behind them and you realize in confused horror that they  _ also have a tail _ . “Purromise not to move.”

“What?”

“Purromise you’ll stay in that exact position and I’ll tell you.”

“And why should I do that?”

A dark eyebrow pops up over their shades. “‘Cause I don't want to get skewered. And you won't get answers otherwise.”

You are pretty sure you can hear Dirk grinding his teeth. “Fine.”

They smile brightly and declare, “I have most of Nepeta’s and Dave’s memories!”

Okay, now you’re confused.

“ _ What?”  _ you squeak (and oh boy, isn’t that embarrassing), at the same time Dirk flatly states, “How?”

The child shrugs. You really need to figure out if they have a name. “ _ The mighty huntress gestures to the computers with a great paw and tells the humans,  _ ‘Experiments. It’s purrobably all in the files there. Or what’s left of them. They left in a purry.”

You raise an eyebrow. “‘Purry?’”

“...Okay so that wasn’t really a good one.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Dirk says. “Why are you even using so many cat puns, anyway?”

“‘Cause they are the best!”

Dirk smacks his forehead.

Well, this conversation is officially weird and getting nowhere fast. “So you’re an experiment then?” you venture.

Though their expression doesn’t change, their wings droop and their tail curls around their leg like it’s holding them up. “Yeah.”

Dirk lowers his sword, slightly relaxing his stance. You follow his lead. Neither of you put your weapons away.

Dirk opens his mouth to speak but seems to mentally switch tracks before asking, “Where did you get those shades?”

Your breath hitches at the cautious edge to his tone and you watch the strange child carefully.

They frown, nose scrunching up like they stepped in something nasty. “A scientist gave them to me. Said their owner didn’t need them anymore.” They cross their arms like a shield and it hits you,  _ really _ hits you that this is a  _ child _ ; just like this Jade and John, this child was created for whatever sick gains these… these  _ monsters _ were after. You wonder how many other children have suffered the same fate.

“You-”

“Purretty sure he’s not dead though.”

You freeze. “What?”

They raise an eyebrow and give you a flat look. “Uh, Dave? Purretty sure he’s not dead. Or Nepeta.”

“What makes you say that?” Dirk shifts, fingers bone white as they clench around his sword.

They shrug. “Just a feelin’. ‘Sides, last memories aren’t related to anything like that.”

All at once the tension seems to drain from you. You’re suddenly exhausted and every inch of your body seems ready to collapse in on itself. Dirk rubs at his eyes beneath his shades and the child hugs themselves a little tighter. None of this feels right. You have  _ children _ you’ve never met and it seems BABY has made more, destroyed more than you may be able to think of.

“Do you have a name?”

The child seems almost shocked that you asked and even Dirk raises an eyebrow at you.

A tail swishes. “I… Da… ta… Davepeta. My name is Davepeta.”

“Do you have any place to go?”

“None of us do.”

Dirk frowns. “There’s more?” Davepeta nods and your blood runs cold. “Can you take us to them?”

“Yeah.” They straighten and smile weakly. “ _ The mighty huntress twitches and waves the guests to follow as they head back to the hella rad cave. _ ” With that, they take off with what can only be called ‘a hop, a skip and jump’. You can only assume some level of irony is involved.

You share a look with Dirk before shrugging and following after them. You send a quick message to Roxy and Jake apologizing for the delay and explaining the situation. Neither respond but you hope that doesn’t mean anything.

You head deep down into the dark to find the children made and ruined by these people and carefully don’t think about the ones they made from you. There’s only so much you can worry about right now. Only so much you can carry on your shoulders before it starts crushing your bones.

For now, Roxy and the children before you come first.

The corridors twist in an overly convoluted fashion and you are not sure if it is aesthetics or if it is just meant to be confusing. It might be some kind of test, a labyrinth designed to ensure only the best remain. Or, perhaps, it is just to keep anything from getting out if it's not supposed to. In any case, all these twists and turns are way too numerous for any practical application. 

Davepeta doesn't seem too bothered by it though, tail twitching in what you  _ think _ is contentment but you can't be sure. Roxy is the cat expert, not you. You wonder how long they've been here. They look about thirteen but Dave hasn't been missing that long. Did BABY accelerate their aging process? If so, when did they stop? Were they even allowed a proper childhood? 

Finally, Davepeta pauses before a large metal door. “ _ Davepeta stops befure the cave’s entrance. They knock mightily on the barricade and shout, ‘ _ Claw claw, meowtherfuckers! Open fucking sesame!”

You cringe at their word choice but say nothing as the door creaks open. It reveals a troll - a complete one this time and not some mish-mash of other species - that is about the same age as your guide from what you can tell. Two arrow tipped horns sprout from oily hair and while they don't wear a symbol that you can see their shades look eerily like Dirk’s. You can practically  _ feel  _ your friend squinting at the new troll. 

The troll must sense it to as they look at Dirk and simply say, “Ah.”

He stares. “Ah?”

“Yes. Ah.”

“May I ask where you got those shades?”

The troll twitches and you swear you almost see a spark of mischief in their demeanor. “It seems you have noticed-”

“ _ Hal? _ ”

Everyone jumps and turns to stare at you and  _ gosh, _ you didn't mean to be so  _ loud _ . You’re probably wrong anyway but they just sounded so much like him you just couldn't-

“Technically,” they say. “And it's ‘he’.”

“Huh?”

“Male pronouns, Jane. My moirail is the only one here who is non-binary.”

You blink. Davepeta sticks their tongue out. You turn accusing eyes on Dirk. His face is twisted into an expression of intense displeasure. “I did  _ not  _ program him to do that.”

Hal - gosh that is even weird to  _ think _ after all these years - adjusts his glasses and says, “I simply calculated the probability of-”

“ _ Arquius _ ,” Davepeta scolds, flicking the troll on the head. It’s then that you notice the cybernetic implants scattered around his head. That would explain how Hal - Arquius? - now has a body. They simply took a body and stuffed everything inside. You hope the poor troll involved didn’t suffer too much.

Said troll frowns at their moirail before turning back to you and Dirk. “... Want to touch my muscles?”

Dirk splutters and it's just hilarious enough that you take out your phone to snap a picture. He whips around like you’ve just betrayed him and you giggle, snapping another of his face and stash your phone before he can grab it.

“So you will touch my muscles?”

Dirk gapes at him. “No!”

Hm, Roxy might want a video of this… 

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not doing this.”

“We’re doing this, man.”

“No.”

“We’re making this happen.”

“God, just  _ shut up _ !”

Arquius smirks and you can't help but giggle. Davepeta is grinning widely too, the edges of their smile just peeking out from behind a gloved hand. Dirk looks  _ exasperated  _ and it's so unusual on him that you  _ need _ evidence of it. He is less than impressed with this. 

“Pranks,” you whisper to him. He stares flatly at you. 

“Oh, never take pranks lightly, young man,” an old, wheezy voice calls from further in the room. The door swings open and Arquius steps to the side to allow an elderly woman through. 

She’s a bit on the stout side with a hunched back and snow white hair. She is dressed in a lovely shade of cyan with thick glasses on a thin chain and two large buckteeth. Overall, she looks like one of those kindly old ladies you see in old detective movies. 

“Of course not, ma’am,” he replies though there's an odd lit to his voice that almost makes it sound like a question. He's also staring at her but you're not sure if this is rude or simply Dirk being Dirk. You’ve known him for  _ years _ and there are times when you  _ still _ can't tell what’s going on in his brain. 

The lady, at least, doesn't seem to mind. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Uh.” His gaze flicks between the two of you. “Well. Please don't take this the wrong way but you kind of remind of Jane if she was old.”

_ What?!  _ Okay, now that is the epitome of  _ rude _ ! 

“ _ Dirk!  _ That is just-”

“True!” the old woman laughs and it  _ sounds eerily like your own what the fuck?!  _

“ _ What the fuck?!” _

“Language, Jane,” Dirk mocks and you are  _ so _ getting him for this. 

“Hoohoohoo! Sorry for the shock, dearie! But young Dirk here is quite correct!” Her face falls and she looks at you full of sadness and concern. You can't be sure if it's for you or herself. “I am a clone of you. The first one made here as you can probably tell by my age.”

You shake your head. This is all too much. First you find find out you have kids -  _ with Jake _ \- and now this? A clone?! 

Dirk frowns. “No offense but Jane isn’t an old lady yet.”

You swipe at him and the jerk has the  _ audacity _ to flashstep just out of your reach. Oh, you will  _ definitely  _ make him pay. 

Davepeta droops. “Nanna’s aging is pawll messed up. They didn't fix it ‘til later. With the rest of us.”

Nanna steps aside and finally gives you a complete view of the room. It's obviously a lab of some kind with the vast amount of testing equipment inside. Tanks and tubes cover every inch of the walls and only the emergency lights seem to be working, much like the rest of the facility. Your eyes pass over various tables with cruel-looking implements and disturbing stains to take in the other occupants. There are two other trolls inside; one who looks normal if overly cheery, and the other looking like the same kind of mish-mash as Arquius though the latter isn't quite to the same extreme (as far as you can tell, anyway). They wear strange 3D glasses and have mis-matched horns. The final occupant appears, for the most part, human. A quick glance at their furry ears and twitching tentacles informs you that they have more in common with Davepeta than Nanna, however.

Nanna sighs sadly and says, “These are the ones who survived.”

Horror settles in the pit of your stomach. You pale, eyes dancing about the room and taking everything in once again. You suddenly feel like you're in a horror movie, the heroine that comes in to save the day only to find out the danger has long since passed and all that's left is the shattered remains of only a few innocent lives. Except you're not a heroine. You’ve never saved anyone before in your life. Your friends are heroes; Dirk with the speed and skill to take down even the strongest of highbloods, Roxy with a heart of sheer determination and a will to keep going until her body gives out, Jake with his hopes and dreams and positivity that seems to infect those around him. They save the day. They are the real heroes. 

You? You are just Jane, an orphan pampered by some highblood heiress, groomed to be a figurehead, a leader with no will or power or authority of your own. You are just plain Jane who has no idea what she’s doing, who is more of a hindrance to her friends than a help, who’s a parent to children she's never met and you can't help but feel like you’ve failed them. You can't think of anything that you truly contributed to this mission or anything you actually helped resolve or set up for resolution. What have you done in your life, Jane Crocker, that has actually been beneficial to those around you? 

“Fucking hell,” Dirk breathes and you can see the tremors that travel through him, the white knuckle grip on his sword. He's about to come apart but he keeps stitching things back into place haphazardly. You’ve seen this before, seen what he has done to himself in the name of making amends. You can't let him do that. 

Tears carving tracks down your face, you tentatively touch his arm. He twitches, eyes darting to you but he doesn't pull away. You wrap your arms around his and curl up against his side. If he focuses on you maybe he won't fall to pieces like you seem to be doing.

“Monsters,” you gasp, teeth clenched and eyes squeezed shut. 

He shifts a little, likely looking fully at you now. “What?”

“The people you did this,” you clarify. “They're  _ monsters. _ ”

“Yeah, they are.”

“Can we look for them?”

“Who?”

You pull back slightly to meet his eyes. “John and Jade. Can we look for them?”

His expression turns grim and he nods with determination. “Yeah, of course.”

“Ectobiologist and Gardengnostic,” Davepeta suddenly chirps. 

You both frown at them. “What?”

They fidget under the sudden scrutiny, twining and twirling their fingers together as they shuffle their feet. “John and Jade’s pesterchum handles.”

Dirk jerks towards them though your hold on his arm stops him from going far. “You know them?”

They sag and the human further in the room curls up into a ball, tentacles wrapping around them in a twisted version of a hug. 

“We- they- Dave and Rose are friends with them.”

From your current angle you can see Dirk close his eyes. He takes a steadying breath and gently pulls out of your grasp. “C’mon. Roxy’s been waiting a while, she's probably going nuts. Maybe she was able to get all the information that is still in the system by now.” He turns and starts back down the way you came. 

You pause for a moment, feeling as if some heavy decision is now weighing on your shoulders. You glance back at the clones, the people made from blood, pain and morbid curiosity. They look lost, as if they no longer have a purpose now that they’ve been abandoned. Why were they left behind? Were they considered failures as well? Why weren't they simply killed if that was the case? Were they just… forgotten down here? What will happen to them now? 

“Wait.” You speak before your brain can catch up to your mouth.

Dirk stops and turns to you. “For?”

You bite your lip for a second, putting the puzzle of your thoughts together. “Does Maplehoof have enough room?”

He raises an eyebrow. “For…?” He looks past you and you can see the exact moment the lightbulb in his head turns on. “Ah.” He scratches at his chin. “It’ll be cramped but yeah, we can make room. We’ve got a lot of shit we’ve been meaning to get rid of, anyway. Plus, Jake's been talking about getting a trailer for extra storage or whatever.” He shrugs. 

You turn back to the others and wave for them to come with. 

The mish-mash troll in the back gives you a flat look. “Theriouthly?”

You nod. 

The much too cheery troll  _ squeals _ with glee and rushes from the room with a booming, “Shot gun!”

The other splutters and chases after her, closely followed by the human that, now that can get a good look at her, bares an eerie resemblance to Rose. 

Nanna - and  _ boy howdy _ is it weird to think that about someone who is  _ literally you _ \- smiles but doesn't move. “If it’s all the same to you, dearie, I think I'll stay here.”

“What? Nanna, no!” Davepeta immediately protests. 

She smiles kindly at them and pats their head, doing the same with Arquius. He doesn't look nearly as distressed but there's an obvious twist to his face that shows how upset he is. The pats seem to sooth something in them a little, at least. You wonder if that whole thing is just part of troll biology. 

“I'm old,” Nanna says. “I know I’m technically younger than Miss Jane here but that's just the way things turned out. I’d only be a burden to you all, particularly since I won't be able to move very quickly.” You begin to protest - the word ‘burden’ weighs heavily in your mind - but she cuts you off with a look. “Despite sharing some of your memories - and you should get that tiara of yours checked out by Mr. Strider and Arquius if you still have it - this place is all I have known. It's not much nor is it exactly pleasant but it's all I have that is my own.” She frowns and looks away. “I'm not sure how much time I have left but I would prefer to spend it here.”

“But won’t you be lonely?” you cautiously ask.

She raises an eyebrow and holds up a phone. “Of course not! I expect daily updates on your progress, young lady.”

You smile but even you can tell how strained it is. You quickly exchange goodbyes and information then head off with a hesitant pair of children. Dirk, it seems, stopped to wait for you and he has the most unimpressed look you’ve ever seen as he ‘entertains’ the other three kids. He sends you a questioning look when he stops you. You shake your head and he thankfully drops the subject though you get a feeling that it is a discuss that is only on hold. Perhaps he’ll leave it to Roxy to help you sort everything out. You won't blame him if he does; Dirk Strider is  _ horrendous _ at discussing emotions. 

Between the two of you, you are able to corral the kids into moving again, each taking a turn leading you through a maze of hallways. You hope they aren't getting you lost. Though if you pass by a camera, Roxy might spot you. 

As you walk, Dirk’s hand slips into yours. You squeeze it and he squeezes right back. 

 

_ “Isn’t it strange/Feels like I’m lookin’ in the mirror/What would people say/If only they knew that I was _

_ Part of some geneticist’s plan (plan-plan-plan)/Born to be a carbon copy man (man-man-man)/There in a petri dish late one night/They took a donor’s body cell and fertilized a human egg and so I say” - I Think I’m a Clone Now, Weird Al Yankovic   _


End file.
